Ex-Turnstile Guitarist to Face Competency Hearing in Attempted Murder Case

The ongoing legal proceedings against former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert took another turn on Thursday (Sept. 3) after a Montgomery County judge ordered the musician to undergo a competency evaluation.

The move reportedly came about when Ebert's attorney, Mark Sobel, shared during the status hearing that he had "significant concerns regarding competency," as was reported by The Baltimore Banner.

What Happened at Brady Ebert's Status Hearing?

"I did not commit a crime," shared Ebert in professing his innocence on the charges of first- and second-degree murder that had been filed against him. The charges came about over the March 29 incident earlier this year where he was alleged to have purposefully struck 79-year-old William Yates with his vehicle.

Within the proceedings, The Baltimore Banner report revealed that Ebert repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and shared that he felt "perfectly competent" while also declaring that “every part of the police report is a lie.” ⁠He also was said to have shared that he felt his attorney was working against him with the prosecutors and that his previous legal reps were involved with some financial misdealings.

According to Sobel, he was concerned that his client was not able to understand the charges that had been filed against him nor was he able to assist in his own defense.

Another status hearing in the case was ordered for Sept. 22.

Why Is Brady Ebert Facing Charges?

Ebert is facing charges for allegedly striking 79-year-old William Yates with his vehicle. Yates is the father of Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates. A previous report suggested that the elder Yates was left with "severe trauma to both of his legs" after he was allegedly struck by Ebert's vehicle outside his home.

The initial report claimed that detectives were told by family members that Ebert arrived at the elder Yates' home, "yelled obscenities" and honked his car horn, later coming back and striking William in the driveway with his vehicle.

Turnstile cut ties with Ebert in 2022. He had been with the band since their start in 2010 and appeared on their first three studio albums.

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After the incident, the band issued a statement in which they shared that the decision at the time had to do with "a consistent pattern of harmful behavior affecting himself, the band and the community." The group also revealed that they had been subject to "baseless tirades" from Ebert in the years since the split that they chose not to publicly address and that the guitarist had "escalated" threats against the group in the time leading up to the incident.

In May, the Montgomery County grand jury upgraded the charges against Ebert to include an attempted first-degree murder charge. That charge carries a potential life sentence with it should the musician be found guilty.

While another status hearing is set for Sept. 22, a trial date start was set for Oct. 5 back in June. The trial is anticipated to last for three days.

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